Tests That Have Problems
These should strengthen the test construction concepts for you!
Not Standardized:
Sam and Dean took an intelligence test, knowing that 68% of the people who take it received a score within fifteen points of 100. Sam received a 300 as a score, and although this may not seem unstandardized, just exceptional, Dean received a score of 75 although he and Sam worked together on the test and answered exactly the same.
Not Reliable:
John took an intelligence test and received a score of 95. Seeing this below-average score surprised John so he insisted he just got a bad score because he was sick that day. Two days after receiving his score, without any additional study, John took the test again and received a score of 115.
Not Content-Valid:
Two days after her sixteen birthday, Cindy took her driving test in hopes she would get her driver's license. She was rather nervous, though, because she had not practiced as often as she was hoping she would, causing her driving to be very tentative and jerky. After she took her test, she couldn't believe she got a perfect score when she had made a couple of overly-wide turns and cut off a mini van.
Not Predictive-Valid:
David was very happy when he got his first full-time job right after graduating from business school. He got the job because he was the applicant who scored the highest on an aptitude test to predict how well he would do if he was hired. But five years later, David was still waiting for his predicted greatness, as he was unable to sell a single proposal.
These should strengthen the test construction concepts for you!
Not Standardized:
Sam and Dean took an intelligence test, knowing that 68% of the people who take it received a score within fifteen points of 100. Sam received a 300 as a score, and although this may not seem unstandardized, just exceptional, Dean received a score of 75 although he and Sam worked together on the test and answered exactly the same.
Not Reliable:
John took an intelligence test and received a score of 95. Seeing this below-average score surprised John so he insisted he just got a bad score because he was sick that day. Two days after receiving his score, without any additional study, John took the test again and received a score of 115.
Not Content-Valid:
Two days after her sixteen birthday, Cindy took her driving test in hopes she would get her driver's license. She was rather nervous, though, because she had not practiced as often as she was hoping she would, causing her driving to be very tentative and jerky. After she took her test, she couldn't believe she got a perfect score when she had made a couple of overly-wide turns and cut off a mini van.
Not Predictive-Valid:
David was very happy when he got his first full-time job right after graduating from business school. He got the job because he was the applicant who scored the highest on an aptitude test to predict how well he would do if he was hired. But five years later, David was still waiting for his predicted greatness, as he was unable to sell a single proposal.
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